Crashing Down
by foldintothenight
Summary: An accident came between Mary Williams and her wrestling dreams. Not wanting to face her family, nor the wrestling friends she had already made, she ran away. What happens when she comes back to her old life? Will her past catch up to her? Ted DiBiase/OC/The Miz Rated T for mild swearing and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, Ronnie is writing another story. This is probably my most extreme "what if" I've thought of for my main OC, Mary Williams, yet. I hope that you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the WWE nor it's employees. I do, however, own Mary Williams, her younger siblings Chelsea and Alex aka Billy Alexander, and her parents, Jeff and Kathryn.**

* * *

The Windy City. Whoever came up with that nickname for Chicago couldn't have been more right. Jeff Williams was a WWF superstar, and his vehicle was far from cheap. It was the first time he had been home in weeks, and he had taken his daughters out for a father-daughter night, not knowing when he'd be able to do so again. Sixteen year-old Mary sat in the front seat, smiling back at her younger sister, Chelsea, who was ten at the time. They were riding along the coast of Lake Michigan as they made their way home during a thunderstorm. Every time there was a gust of wind, Chelsea jumped, whimpering. She had always been afraid of storms, where Mary found them oddly calming. Just as they hit a calmer patch in the storm, Mary looked over to her father, who nodded as he slowed the car a bit. Mary unbuckled her seat-belt and began climbing into the backseat to comfort her sister. Just as she almost made it to her destination, Jeff had hit a huge puddle at the same time as the strongest gush of wind that they had experienced all night hit them. Before Jeff got a chance to react, Mary was sent flying through the windshield and right into a tree. She was unconscious, and her arm was visibly mangled from the crash. Chelsea was sure he older sister was dead.

…

A few days later, Mary woke up in a hospital bed. She woke up to see the most gorgeous gray eyes staring down at her. She smiled, trying to bring up her right arm up to caress his cheek, but that was when she discovered that she couldn't move that side of her body at all.

"Shh," Ted DiBiase, Junior smiled at her, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "You're gonna be OK, baby."

"But I can barely feel my arm or my leg," Mary looked up to her boyfriend with desperate eyes. "How can I wrestle like this?"

Ted sighed, "I'm not going to lie, Mare Bear. There is a chance that you won't be able to. I guess that it's better to find out now, than later on down the road."

Mary quickly shook her head, "there _is_ nothing else for me, Teddy Bear. I _have_ to wrestle. Otherwise, what's the point of anything?"

"Mary, your back was damaged in the accident. I heard the doctors saying that you won't be able to perform in any sort of athletic activity," he took her left hand, playing with her fingers. "You are still the most beautiful girl I know. Plus, you are really smart. Weren't you talking about getting a degree in technical engineering?"

"That was just supposed to be a backup plan," she grunted, pulling away from him and rolling away from him. "Just go away. I don't want to see you anymore. You can do better."

Ted backed away slowly, his eyes widening. Did he really just hear what he thought he had? Tears filled his eyes as he backed out of the room. He nearly bumped into his best friend, who just happened to be Mary's brother, Alex. "Oh... hey..."

Alex tilted his head, blinking. "Dude, are you alright?"

Ted shook his head slowly. "She's awake. I figured that she'd take the news from me the best. She didn't take it well at all. She just broke up with me."

Alex bit his lip, nodding. He knew how much wrestling meant to Mary, but he really didn't think that she would break up with her boyfriend over hearing that she most likely wouldn't be able to anymore. "Just... give her time, man. Maybe once she's had some time to get used to what has happened to her, she'll come around. You two are meant to be together. I know it."

Ted nodded with a sigh. "I'm just going to head home. I'll call in a few weeks or something."

Alex patted his best friend's shoulder. He was a little torn at the moment. His best friend's heart was just broken by his sister. Mary and Alex were always extremely close, but he couldn't take sides in this situation. He wouldn't. He just hoped that they both understood.

…

Six months had gone by and Mary had physically gotten better, but emotionally, she had given up on life. She was able to walk, albeit with a limp, and it had sunk in that he wrestling dreams had truly been shattered. She went into a deep depression, barely leaving her bed. Her parents didn't have any choice but to let her continue her high school education at home. She was already far enough ahead that she would be graduating that year, but without her motivation, that was beginning to look bleak. Ted had called their house many times, mostly to talk to Alex, but he had intended on asking Mary out a few times. Every time Alex came into her room, asking if she wanted to talk to Ted, she declined. After a few months, Alex would quietly linger in her room, still on the phone with Ted, both listening as she sobbed softly.

Finally, Ted had reached his breaking point. He still loved Mary, and he could tell that she felt the same for him. She was just being stubborn, due to her new handicap. He didn't care what condition her body was in, and deep inside, she knew it as well. He called Alex, declaring his intentions to ask Mary to his Homecoming dance, making the other boy well aware that if Mary turned him down that time, he wouldn't be calling for her again. Alex walked into his sister's room, much like he had before, but he sat on the bed next to her, showing his older sister that he meant business this time. "Ted wants to talk to you," he said softly.

Mary looked up at her younger brother, tears filling her eyes once more. "I can't," she shook her head, her voice cracking.

Ted recognized the sound in Mary's voice and sighed. "_Just give her the phone, Alex._"

Alex took a deep breath, gently placing the phone against his sister's ear. "Just please... listen to him, Mare."

"Teddy..." she managed to get out between sniffles.

"_Maryanne, I know that you are feeling broken and unworthy, but I still love you. I'm not ready to let __you go,_" Ted pleaded with her.

"I'm not ready, Ted. I'm sorry. It's better for you if you just move on," she started to turn away.

"_How long? Mary, I can't wait for you forever. Are you feeling any better at all?_" No matter how much Ted loved Mary, he couldn't put his life on hold for her forever.

"I don't know. I love you, but I just can't do this right now. I'm sure that you can find someone else. I... I'm sorry," she choked out, pushing the phone away.

Alex sighed as he stood up, walking out of his sister's room. "I'm sorry, Ted."

"_It's not your fault, Alex. I wish that I was enough to bring her out of this, but I can't try if she won't even let me in,_" Ted responded in a dejected tone.

"Maybe she'll come around someday," Alex offered, though not sure how likely it was.

"_I have someone else in mind to ask to the dance. I'm going to try and move on, but... just don't tell her. I know that she told me to, but it may devastate her to find out._"

"You're probably right about that. Just... keep in touch? I honestly think that she gets a little better every time you call. That has to mean something, doesn't it?" Alex walked into his own room, flopping himself down on his bed.

"_Don't worry, Alex. This won't effect our friendship. We'll always be friends. Nothing will ever change that,_" Ted reassured the younger boy before hanging up.

…

Mary finished her high school education with six months to go before her eighteenth birthday. She was no longer depressed, but she still wouldn't talk to Ted, nor any of her other legacy friends that she had made over the years. She could barely face her own brother, because she knew that he was going to be heading into training soon. She packed up her things and left a simple note saying that she was sorry that she had failed everyone and snuck out in the middle of the night. She left absolutely no indication as to where she could be going, and it appeared as though she wouldn't be back.

Weeks went by before Alex called up Ted, who was now in college. The family looked everywhere they could possibly think of before letting him on the news. When Ted answered, Alex stood silent for a moment.

"Ted, it's Alex," the tone in his voice was lifeless. The fear was apparent.

"_Alex? What's going on? Is it Mary? Is she OK?_" Ted desperately questioned his best friend.

"She ran away, Ted. We haven't heard from her, nor seen her, in weeks," Alex tried to remain even as possible, but it wasn't working.

"_She ran away? Why?_" Deep inside, Ted knew why, but he didn't want to face it. She was so broken over the accident that she couldn't face her life any longer. Now it was only a matter of finding her and figuring out how to handle everything. It was just that no one knew how long that could be.


	2. Chapter 2

A little over six years later Chelsea went on a school trip to New York City. It was her first time going away from home without her parents, and she planned on taking full advantage. She had been to a few WWE events over the years in the big city, but this was definitely going to be different. Her group was scheduled to go to one Broadway show, and visit one museum, but they were going to be there for a whole week. So they were left with a few days, mostly unsupervised. On one of their days off Chelsea and a few of her friends were exploring the city together. They came across one of the more shady parts of town, but it was during the day, and there were a couple of football players in the group. They were walking down the sidewalk in a group when Chelsea stopped dead in her tracks.

One of her friends noticed that she had stopped and gently nudged her. "Hey... Everything OK, Chels?"

Chelsea blinked a few times, almost forgetting to breathe. "I... I think that's my sister," she pointed to a woman in her early twenties, with multicolored dreadlocks. She was definitely taking advantage of the Bohemian lifestyle that The Big Apple had to offer.

"The one who ran away six years ago?" Her friend raised an eyebrow as they began walking closer to the woman. The search for Mary had gone cold years ago, and almost everyone had given up on her. They even had a memorial service for her two years earlier. At the same time, Chelsea, Alex, their parents, and even Ted had yet to give up on her. They all knew that she was still alive, and had to be out there somewhere.

Chelsea nodded as she took a hurried step to the woman, "Mary?"

The woman looked up, her piercing pale blue eyes met those of her younger sister. She went pale, quickly shaking her head. She started backing away, looking for a place to hide.

"No Maryanne, please. Just talk to me," Chelsea pleaded. She groaned as the woman gathered her things and quickly ran off. "Now tell me that wasn't my sister," she sighed heavily, leaning against one of the guys.

"I think that it's safe to say that it was," one of the other girls nodded, placing a hand on Chelsea's shoulder. "She's just obviously not ready to face her old life yet."

"Should I even tell anyone?" Chelsea groaned.

The boy that she was leaning against looked down at her, "I know that if I were one of the people who cared about Mary, I would want to know that she was alive and OK. Even if she didn't want to come home."

Chelsea nodded, pulling out her phone. She thought for a moment before choosing her brother's name in her contacts. She took a deep breath, waiting for him to answer.

"_Hey sis, how's the Big Apple?_"

"New York is great, Alex," she bit her lip, taking a step away from her friends.

Alex immediately recognized the despair in his younger sister's voice and got worried, "_Chelsea, what's wrong?_"

"I just saw Mary," her voice was cold and even. There wasn't a single shred of doubt within her.

"_What? Are you sure?_" Alex was in shock, and rightfully so.

"I'm very sure," Chelsea's voice cracked as her tears filled with eyes. "I looked into her eyes. I would know our sister anywhere."

"_I'm taking it things didn't go well?_" Alex sighed, sitting down as he ran his fingers through his short hair.

"She ran. That's when we were all sure that it was her. I knew that it was probably best that I didn't go after her." She began pacing in front of a building a bit, tears streaming down her cheeks, "it looks like she's doing good, Alex. She just didn't want to see me."

"_And she was extremely close to you. If she wasn't ready to talk to you, none of us could probably approach her._"

"Hey," Chelsea shrugged, "she's alive. We were right, Alex. Mary is OK."

"Y_eah... Yeah, are you going to call mom and dad?_"

"I'm not ready for that conversation right now," Chelsea leaned against a wall. "That's why I called you first."

"_I'll call them for you, and I'll __tell __Ted when he gets back in from his date with Krist__e__n._"

"That should be interesting," Chelsea grumbled. "I should get going, Alex. I love you."

"_Love you too, Chels. We'll talk soon._"

…

A couple of hours later, Alex was sitting in the middle of the couch in the apartment that he and Ted were sharing while both were in Florida Championship Wrestling. He had already spoken to his parents and listened on as his mother's heart broke over her eldest child still not wanting to be in their lives.

When Ted walked in, a little drunk already, he almost didn't notice his best friend sitting in silence. "You'll never guess what, Alex!" he grinned widely, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Alex looked up with a sadness in his eyes. "She said 'yes'?"

"Yeah," Ted blinked, walking over to his friend. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Mary is OK. Chelsea saw her in New York a couple of hours ago," Alex spat out, standing up and looking Ted in the eye. "But don't worry, she ran away from her own sister. So you can probably go on with your life with Kristen." He stomped into his bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him.

Ted stood frozen in place, stunned for a few minutes before walking over to the kitchen and pulling out a couple of beers, slamming them both before throwing the cans at the wall. He looked to the notepad on the refrigerator that one of their mothers had gotten for them as a housewarming present, but neither had used yet. He grabbed the attached pen and wrote "I've never stopped loving her" on it before grabbing his keys.

About an hour later, Alex had gotten out of his room and cleaned up before seeing the note that Ted left. He sighed as his phone began to ring. He blinked, seeing "Million Dollar Man" on the ID, then immediately feared the worst. He bit his lip as he answered, "Mister DiBiase?"

"_I see that you're in a bit of a mood as well, Alex. Teddy was just arrested. Care to shed some light on that?_" the older man addressed his middle son's best friend with a bit of worry.

"Well..." Alex took a deep breath, running his hand over his face, "Ted proposed to Kristen today, only to come home to the news that Chelsea saw Mary in New York."

"_That... actually explains everything,_" Ted Senior sighed. "_He's over at Hillsborough County. If you bail him out, I'll pay you back._"

"Yeah, of course. No problem, sir. I'll talk to you later," Alex sighed, finding his shoes and keys.

"_Thanks, son. I know that all of this is hard on you. It really means a lot to me,_" the older man got out before hanging up.

Alex got into his car and made his way to the jail where Ted was being held. He bailed his friend out and waited for the other man to walk out to the lobby.

When Ted saw Alex waiting for him he frowned, hanging his head. "Alex, I..."

Alex shook his head, "it's alright, man. I didn't meant it how it came out. You deserve to be happy."

Ted nodded, hugging his best friend. "If Mary wants to stay out of our lives, we just have to deal with it."

Alex returned the hug. "I know. I should know that after all of these years that simply willing it won't get her back."

"We both want her back," Ted nodded as they headed out toward Alex's car. "She's just so hard headed that we know she'll have to come back on her own."

…

Eight months later Alex stood beside Ted as he married Kristen. No one had heard nor seen from Mary since the day Chelsea had spotted her. It was assumed that she had moved on in attempt to further allude her loved ones. Everyone had agreed to not actively search for the now twenty-three year-old. At the same time, they would keep their ears and eyes open. They would never give up on Mary. They couldn't. By that time, a number of Ted and Alex's other friends believed that she could eventually come back and kept her in mind, as well. Around the same time that Ted had gotten married, he was called up to the main roster of the WWE and was been cast in a movie soon after. His career was just starting to take off. He couldn't dwell on the past. The only thing left for him was to move on, and he was going to do just that. No matter how much it was going to kill him on the inside to do so.

* * *

**So yeah, I added a few of Ted's real life events (according to his Wikipedia page) to the story. These things fit in with the timeline of this story very nicely, so I added it in.**


	3. Chapter 3

Years had gone by and Mary had not been heard from. Ted was now thirty, and at one point, he was happy, but that wasn't the case so much anymore. He was still on the main roster of the WWE, however injuries had kept him out of action for many months at a time. At the same time, he was now a father. Because of this, he took advantage and spent the extra time with his son. He was traveling with the company when he was actually able to compete, but he still wasn't being booked for televised matches. He was in Phoenix for the Royal Rumble, but a large part of him knew it was for no real reason. He just needed to get away from everything. His wife had been diagnosed with leukemia during her pregnancy, and was able to deliver just fine. However, in the months following the birth, her body slowly shut down. She didn't even make it to her son's first Christmas, and Ted was now alone. He took his son with him for the event, despite the fact that the infant was only eight months old. He knew that if he actually had to compete, he had people there to watch the baby. He just knew that he would need to figure out a more permanent solution soon.

…

Mary had slowly made her way across the country over the past four years. Eventually stopping in Phoenix. She had been there for six months by the time the Royal Rumble had come to town. She was now blonde and working in a small convenience store. She also had built up a good relationship with her manager, who was actually a huge wrestling fan. Mary constantly denied knowing anything about wrestling, but he always caught her on little things here and there. With days to go before the event Mary grew nervous. Their store was close to a few attractions in town, and this meant that anyone from the company could easily stop by. She had secretly watched some WWE programming over the years and followed many of the wrestlers on Twitter in the time since she had seen her sister in New York. She knew that once a month, she was mentioned on bumps when they came back from commercial. She did her best to hide her identity for many years, but after doing it for so long part of her wondered why she was still doing it. She was over the fact that she had lost out on her wrestling dreams, but after being away for so long, she was afraid to face her old life.

"I'm almost curious as to how you actually know that the Royal Rumble is this Sunday," her boss, Jason, smirked at her.

Mary shrugged with an innocent smile as she wiped down one of the counters. "It's one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. You don't have to know much about wrestling to know that." Sure, it was a lie, but she was getting away with it. She was even getting away with the fake identity that she was using so that she wouldn't be found.

"You know, Rachel, I do still have an extra ticket. I know Marsha would be happy to cover for you," Jason eyed his employee.

Before Mary, or Rachel as she was currently going by, had a chance to respond a small boy dashed into the store, tripping over a rug. Mary's maternal instincts kicked in immediately as she hurried over to the boy. He had brown hair and he was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. She helped the toddler up and took in the features on his face. He looked like the baby boy of someone that she followed on Twitter, whom always posted adorable pictures of whenever they could. She closed her eyes as the startled toddler quickly clung to her. She opened her eyes and heaved a small sigh as a familiar face walked into the store. The man happened to be eye level with her as she knelt down with the baby boy in her arms. "Hornswoggle?" she bit her lip.

"There's another point against you, Rachel," Jason shook his head.

Mary looked down, biting her lip for a moment as she rubbed the boy's back. "This is Tate DiBiase, isn't it?"

Hornswoggle nodded as Mary stood up, still holding the baby in her arms. "Your name isn't Rachel, is it?" The small man stated cautiously as he watched the woman in front of him.

Mary sighed as Jason walked over to her, looking into his employee's eyes. "You... you're her. The one they've been looking for all these years. They just did another spot about the situation last week."

"I guess that I don't have a choice now," Mary bit her lip, looking over to Hornswoggle. "Go get him."

Hornswoggle nodded, walking outside to where Ted happened to be pumping gas into his rental car. He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his neck as he looked for the words to tell his friend who he had just saw in the store merely moments before.

"I think that you forgot my son," Ted chuckled for a moment before taking in the look on his friend's face. "Dyl... what's going on? Where's Tate?"

Hornswoggle let out a sharp breath, covering his mouth for a brief moment. "He's safe in the arms of the woman who could have easily been his mother."

Ted blinked, nearly dropping the nozzle. "Mary's here?"

"Yeah, she works here. She's inside right now," Hornswoggle took the nozzle from Ted and hung it up for him. "She's willing to see you. I would go before she changes her mind."

Ted nodded slowly, completely unsure how to react. It had been over a decade since he had last saw Mary. He had put his feelings aside for so long, but the mere mention of her always brought them all flooding back. He held his head high, despite the feeling of his stomach churning, as he walked into the store and looked to the blonde woman cradling his son in her arms. He saw that her right arm and leg were both still a little weak, but over the years, it appeared that the problems had fixed themselves. "I have to admit," he said softly, not wanting to startle her, "I do like this look on you."

Mary smiled softly as she closed the gap between them, handing the toddler over to his father. "The advantage of having bright blue eyes is that no one questions your hair color when you go blonde." She paused, biting her lip for a moment, "hey Teddy."

Ted balanced his son on his hip as he looked to Mary, running his fingers through her hair. "As long as you never tried to change your eyes. I heard you did a whole rainbow dreadlocks thing a few years back."

Mary smirked, nodding. "Already enjoying a chameleon type lifestyle gives you an advantage when you want to disappear for a while."

"Um... I hate to interrupt," Jason bit his lip, "but knowing that you aren't who you claim to be, I'm supposed to fire and report you."

"What if I quit before you found out?" Mary bit her lip, looking to Jason desperately.

Jason nodded, "I grew up a huge fan of your dad. I could never live with myself if I were the reason you went to prison or something."

Mary smiled, "then I quit. It's been great knowing you, Jason. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday." She shook hands with her now former employer and walked outside with Ted. She took a deep breath, looking down. "Now what?"

"You can come with me, Mary," Ted swallowed visibly, still trying to go over the situation in his head and determine if it was really happening. "We don't have to tell your family right away, but I could use some help with with this little guy."

Mary blinked, tilting her head. "What happened to Kristen?"

Ted heaved a sigh as he put his son into his car seat. Part of him was surprised that Mary knew the name of his late wife, but he didn't question it. "Cancer took her after she gave me Tate."

Mary was overcome with emotion when she heard what had happened to the woman who had essentially taken care of Ted the entire time that she was away. She wrapped her arms around him in tight hug, sighing heavily. "My apartment is a few blocks away. I don't have much. I never really stay anywhere long, and it was easiest to travel light."

"So you'll come with me?" Ted's eyes lit up with hope.

"I was done running a long time ago. I just didn't know how to stop," Mary nodded.

…

Mary managed to go unnoticed until it the night after The Royal Rumble. Ted had gotten a bus now that he wasn't traveling alone, so it would be easier on all of them. With a few hours to go before RAW, Mary stayed on the bus with Tate while Ted got ready for the show. She had trouble getting the boy down for a nap that day, but he eventually fell asleep laying on her chest. She just smiled as she let Ted go, making him promise to not tell Alex, who was now going by Billy Alexander. Neither had been getting used much, but with the tag division needing fresh meat, they had teamed up once again. Mary wasn't expecting anyone when there was a knock on the door of the bus, but it was unlocked, so she wouldn't have to get up. She called out that it was open to whomever had knocked, thankfully not waking the baby in her arms. She blinked when John Cena walked onto the bus and tilted her head.

"Um... hey..." John looked from the woman, to the baby she was holding, "this _is_ Ted's bus, isn't it?"

Mary nodded, "you don't recognize me, do you?"

"Should I?" the former champion raised an eyebrow at her.

"John... I'm Mary Williams," she bit her lip.

"So wait... you..." John blinked a few times in disbelief. "Who all knows that you're here?"

"Just Ted and Dylan, and now you," she sighed. "I asked Ted not to tell my brother yet."

John nodded as Tate began to stir and Mary slowly sat up with him. "Do you have any idea how many people here are going to be happy to see you? Not only your brother, but your sister works here now, as well. Then there's Cody, Joe, Nattie, Sarona, heck... even Chris and Dwayne have been worried about you, and they're here tonight."

Mary smiled softly as John grabbed what he had come to borrow from Ted. "I can do this. It's going to be emotional, but I really do miss everyone."

John brought an arm around her as they exited the bus together, "I think that even Vince will be happy to know that you're OK."

Mary nodded, "I did have a lot of friends in the company."

"You still do, Mary," John smiled as they walked into the arena, "and I have a feeling that you're about to make a lot more."


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so it's reunion time for Mary. :) It's going to be a little emotional. Also, I know that he now goes by Curtis Axel now, but since this scene takes place back in January, I will refer to him as Michael McGuillicutty, since that was his ring name at the time. I hope that doesn't confuse too much. If I feature him later on after the repackage, I will refer to him with his new ring name.**

* * *

Over the years, Alex, aka Billy Alexander, and Ted had gotten to know one another exceptionally well. Seeing as how Billy didn't have any brothers of his own, Ted had become just that to him. In the time since Kristen's passing, Billy stood by as Ted had attempted to hold himself together. However, things were different now, and Billy could see it. In the past few days, Ted almost seemed happy. It was like as if he had found a piece of himself that had been lost for a long time. Billy noticed this, and it had upset him that Ted wasn't saying anything to him about it. He walked up to Ted in the hallway with about an hour to go before RAW, a rather unhappy look on his face.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Billy sneered as he looked to Ted and Cody.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Ted sighed, trying to hide his nerves.

"Well," Billy took a deep breath, trying to hold back his anger, but failing miserably, "you just lost your wife a little over a month ago, but it almost seems like you're not even thinking about her anymore. Did you meet someone else? Are you forgetting about_ her_ all over again?" The "her" that Billy was referring to was obviously Mary, and the men who stood before him both knew it. He tried to not dictate Ted's love life, but there were times when he felt like he was the only one who remembered how much his best friend and his big sister loved one another.

Mary took a deep breath as she walked up to the scene, her brother's back facing her. She bit her lip as she handed Tate over to John and caught Cody's eyes. She smiled with a small nod, confirming that she was exactly who he was thinking she may be.

"Alex," Cody took a calming breath, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder, "I'd suggest you calm down before you scare your sister."

"My sister?" Billy raised an eyebrow. "Chelsea is already at ringside for the dark match."

Ted and Cody shook their heads as John stepped up, handing Tate over to his father. "Just... turn around, Alex," Cody stated softly. He wanted nothing more than to run up to Mary and hug her himself, but he wanted to give Billy the first moment with his sister.

Billy blinked, hesitating for a moment before turning around and looking into his older sister's eyes. "M-Mar..." he swallowed visibly, choking on his words. "Maryanne?"

Mary smiled as tears began filling her eyes. "Hey bubba," she wrapped her arms around her brother in an extremely tight hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Billy nodded as he returned the hug. "I'm just glad that you're OK. I've missed you so much."

Mary sighed as she slowly pulled away. "I've missed you too, Alex. To be honest, I've missed everyone. I made a huge mistake by leaving just because there was a chance I could never wrestle."

"But you came back," Billy sighed. "It may have taken you over a decade, but you're back. I hope that this means you're here to stay."

"I am definitely here to stay, Alex. I hated being away from everyone for so long. Do you forgive me?" Mary looked into her brother's eyes.

"Of course I forgive you, Mary. Do you promise not to disappear again if I go get Chelsea?" Billy bit his lip.

Mary nodded with a soft smile, "of course. I'll just start my other reunions in the mean time." She took a deep breath as she watched her brother head off in search of their little sister and turned to Cody, "Codes..."

Cody smiled, wrapping his arms around his friend. "I never stopped believing in you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Mary laughed softly with a sigh as she returned the embrace. "To be honest, I think that it was all of that love and support that had kept me going all those years."

"You're arm seems to be pretty strong," Cody remarked as he pulled away.

Mary nodded, a small smile coming across her face. "I think that if I actually still wanted to, I could get back into training, and start competing before I turn thirty."

"It almost sounds like you don't want to wrestle anymore, Mare Bear," Ted frowned, adjusting his son a bit. He wasn't about to deny the fact that her main reason for breaking up with him and running away in the first place wasn't even an issue anymore hurt him, but he would deal with it in time.

Mary sighed, not noticing that John had slipped away from them. "I think that I've accepted my life as is. I mean, I would still love to work for the company. I'm just not so singly focused on just wrestling anymore."

"You do know that we would be more than happy to give you a job in any department, right Mary?" Stephanie McMahon-Hemsley walked up with her husband, Triple H.

Mary blinked, looking into the direction of yet another friend she had left behind. "Lemme guess, Cena told you?"

"Well, word was going to get around eventually, but I think he knew what he was doing with this," Stephanie laughed, nodding.

"That's a very good point," Mary nodded, hugging her friend as she felt more tears coming to her eyes. "I never did get to go to college, but I've always been great with technical stuff."

Triple H nodded, "I think we have a spot for you there." He smiled, hugging Mary as well

"Awesome, because I definitely want to travel with everyone," Mary smirked, eying Ted and Tate.

"Still there, huh?" Stephanie looked from Mary to Ted. "I was one of your biggest supporters back in the day."

Mary smiled, her cheeks flushing. "Best thing that ever happened to me. But um... yeah, I'm sure that catering is a good place for more reunions?" She looked to Cody with a desperate plea, telling her friend that she still wasn't ready to deal with her feelings.

Cody quickly nodded, bringing an arm around Mary's shoulders, leading her toward catering. Once they got to the room where everyone was hanging out, getting their last minute snacks before the show, Cody looked around. "Where to start?"

Before Mary could respond, Natalya bounded up to them with a huge grin. "I knew you couldn't stay away from us forever."

Mary bit her lip as she eyed her once best friend. "So you're not mad at me?"

Natalya let out a fake gasp as she pulled the other woman in her arms. "To be honest, there is a good chance I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. For years, I was pissed that you didn't at least say 'good-bye' before leaving, but I'm long since over that."

Mary nodded as she noticed the other performers in the room, whispering amongst one another. Most of the current roster were first generation, and had started long since after Mary had run away. Still, all of them knew about her, and who her father was. They had probably even made friends with Billy and Chelsea in their time with the company. "I think that what's surprising me the most right now is that everyone is recognizing me, despite the fact that I've gone blonde," she let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.

"It's because of your eyes," Michael McGuillicutty walked up to them with Bo Dallas at his side.

Mary smiled, "hey Joe... Taylor... wow, you've grown." She laughed softly as she hugged each of the men.

"I'm pretty sure that you haven't seen me since I was ten," Bo chuckled.

Mary nodded, "good point. Why do I have the feeling I'm going to cry myself out of tears before the show even starts?"

"It's because you are very well loved around here," Chris Jericho wrapped his arms around Mary from behind, picking her up in a very playful hug.

"Chris!" Mary squealed, laughing as she leaned into the older man. When he put her down, she turned around, giving him a proper hug. "I am definitely feeling the love so far. Think I should start meeting new people now?"

"Not quite," Tamina Snuka walked up to her with a playful sneer.

"Sar!" Mary grinned, hugging the Samoan woman. "I was so happy to see you come back from injury."

Tamina laughed, nodding, "it does feel good to be back. Even better now that you are here. Me, you, and Nattie should wreak havoc again for old times sake."

"I'd be game," Natalya smirked with a happy sigh. "You really were the glue for us, Mare."

Mary raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

Tamina shrugged, "Nattie and I just... I don't know, we've never really talked much since you left."

"Well, that's definitely changing now," Mary nodded with a grin. She began walking around the room as everyone began introducing themselves, expressing how happy that they were that she had come back, and how much they admired her father growing up.

"Now The Rock heard that there was someone here that he just might want to see," Dwayne Johnson walked into the room, in character.

Everyone rolled their eyes, Mary included, as she sighed and walked over to The Rock with a smirk. "Really? You're gonna pull that shit in catering, without any cameras in sight?"

"Nah, I'm just playing, Mary. It is great to see you, though," Rock chuckled, pulling Mary in for a hug.

"I swear, if somehow Brooke Hogan were to walk into the room next, this would be the most perfect reunion ever," Mary sighed as she looked around the room once more.

"I see how I rate," Chelsea stood in the door way, arms crossed over her chest with a playful smirk across her face.

"Chels!" Mary squealed loudly as she ran over to her sister, full tilt. She tackled the youngest Williams sibling to the ground as Ted and Billy stood by in the hall way, laughing.

As the sisters rolled around, laughing and crying, a few of the other performers gathered in the hall to watch them. After a few minutes, Mary got up, helping her younger sister up, pulling her in for another hug. "This is the best I've felt since before the accident."

"Wait... Kimmy?" The Miz gasped as he stepped in front of the crowd.

Mary blinked a few times, slowly looking up to the man who had just addressed her as all of the color drained from her face. "Hey Mike..." she bit her lip.


	5. Chapter 5

**I didn't even notice how long it's been since I updated this! Many apologies. I promise it won't take me this long to get an update out on a normal basis!**

* * *

"So... you know Mike?" Ted bit his lip as he sat with Mary backstage after the show had begun. He had seen the reaction that Mary and The Miz had towards each other, and he had many suspicions as to how they seemed to know one another, and truly feared what the response from his old girlfriend would be.

Mary looked down, searching for the words to say. "I wouldn't say that I really _know_ him, per say."

Ted felt his heart drop into his stomach. He knew that eleven years was a long time, but his feelings had come rushing back ever since they had reunited. "Then what _would_ you say, Maryanne?"

"Are we really going to do this, Teddy Bear?" Mary sighed. She knew that the reason she knew Miz wouldn't be something that Ted wanted to hear.

"Do we have a choice?" Ted grunted, not noticing that someone was walking up to them. "I know you, Mary. I'd like to think that I still know the person you are on the inside. We were close to sleeping together before the accident. I just want to know..."

Mary held a finger up to Ted's lips as she saw The Miz walk up behind Ted after he changed from officiating the match between Randy Orton and Antonio Cesaro. "There is no way I can tell you this without hurting you, but I want to be honest with you." She subtly motioned for Miz to stay back as she explained herself, mostly because he deserved to know what she was about to say, as well. "I basically went from Chicago to New York. Ohio just happens to be along the way on that road. I was in Parma for just one night, and Mike just happened to be home that same night."

"One night?" Ted's eyes widened as he put a few things together in his head. "You spent one night with him? He was your fir-"

Mary quickly clapped her over Ted's mouth as Miz sputtered. "Mary, was I your first? I mean, I think that I knew, but we were both admittedly rather drunk."

Ted turned to see The Miz behind him and shook his head. It was obvious that his heart was broken. As much as he knew that it really could have been anyone, because he would be a fool if he thought that Mary would have been waiting for him all of those years, it still hurt him. It was just that there was just something about the fact that he knew the man who had gotten her virginity that really got to him. "I'm going to go check on Tate," he got up, leaving Mary alone with Miz.

Mary bit her lip, looking down as The Miz sat down across from her in the same spot that Ted had just vacated. "Mike..."

Miz shook his head with a grin, "don't say anything. I may not know you very well, but I'd like to. It's obvious that you're not like most girls when it comes to losing their virginity. At the same time, I can see the look in your eyes, Mary. We may have been strangers, but our night together meant something to you."

Mary looked away for a moment before turning to The Miz with a small smile. "How much do you know about me?"

"I know that your father wrestled up until a few years ago, and that's how you met Ted. I think that I heard that you had intended on going down this road, but an accident took that away from you," Miz nodded. "I remember noticing your right arm and leg were a little weak that night."

Mary smiled, taking a deep breath. "I was obsessed with becoming a wrestler as a teenager. I actually started training with Dustin Runnels when I was twelve."

Miz blinked, "you trained with Goldust?"

"I did!" Mary nodded with a grin, her eyes lighting up with the happy memories. "I loved every minute of it. I feel that ego aside, I could have been something really special." She sighed before continuing, "I had been training hard on a regular basis for years. That all came crashing down while riding along the coast of Lake Michigan with my dad and sister one night when I was sixteen. I flew through the windshield during a storm while I was trying to climb into the back to comfort Chelsea, because she hates storms." She paused, gathering herself after becoming slightly over come with emotion from the memories of that night. "I could have died that night, but I didn't. I just ended up with major damage to my back and temporary paralysis on one side. Ted and I had been seriously dating for at least six months by that time, so he took it upon himself to tell me that there was a chance that I couldn't wrestle ever again. I broke up with him right there on the spot. Because of everything, I ended up going into a severe depression for nearly a year before running away."

"So since you were no longer able to pursue your dreams, you felt like you could no longer live with your family, seeing as how they're rather wrestling oriented," Miz guessed with a soft grin.

Mary nodded, "I just couldn't face anything related to wrestling. Unfortunately, that meant all of my friends and family." She sighed, looking into Miz's eyes, "not the best decision I've ever made."

"I can understand where you're coming from, though," Miz nodded. "I just think that it sucks that you waited this long to come back. What _did_ make you come back, anyway?"

"Actually, it was Ted's son. He ran into the store that I was working in a couple of days ago. Once I looked into his eyes, and well after Hornswoggle came in to retrieve him, I knew that it was time," she shrugged with a sigh. She went on to tell Miz more about her life, before and after running away. They got lost in their conversation, going on until the show was nearly over. She hadn't even realized that hours had gone by when Ted walked up with a sleeping Tate in his arms. She looked up to see her old boyfriend and bit her lip. "Hey Ted..."

"Show's almost over, guys. I was thinking about heading out," Ted stated softly, refusing to look at The Miz.

Mary nodded, leaning over to hug Miz. "We'll see each other soon. I need to visit my parents tomorrow."

Miz nodded as well, returning the hug and whispering into her ear, "I think he still has feelings for you."

Mary chewed on her bottom lip as she got up, giving Miz a small nod before walking off with Ted. She leaned into him as they made their way out of the arena. He didn't say anything as they walked to his bus, yet he didn't make any sort of effort to push her away. He may have been jealous that she had spent most of the night talking to someone else, but when it came to who she left with for the night, she had chose him. This meant a lot to Ted. He knew that it said a lot, and he wasn't about to take it for granted. After putting Tate to bed, he waited for Mary to get ready for bed before walking into the bedroom in the back of the bus, which he had let her use since she had joined him. He took a deep breath, standing in the doorway, not knowing what to say. Mary looked up with a small smile as she sat down on the bed, patting the space next to her. "If I can be honest, I don't think that a day went by where I didn't think of you at least once. As much as I wanted to leave my life behind, I couldn't forget you."

"I missed you so much," Ted sighed as he sat down next to her. "Even up until recently I dreamed about the day you broke up with me."

Mary took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "That was the worst thing that I've ever done. Right up there with running away, of course."

"I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier. It's not my business what you did after you ended things with me and rejected me for months after that. I just..." he shook his head, shrugging.

"I don't think that it's so much that you didn't get my virginity," Mary leaned into him, running her fingers up his arm. "It's just that you now know the guy who did. I'm sure that has to sting a little."

Ted nodded, enjoying the closeness between them. "In perspective, I'm not even surprised that you weren't in a relationship."

Mary let out a small chuckle and smirked, "had I not ran away, I probably would have eventually tried with you. Even if we hadn't gotten back together."

"I'm not gonna lie, Mare Bear," Ted chuckled as his cheeks flushed, "I more than likely would have went for it."

"Would you have with anyone else?" Mary turned to look at him.

"Having sex with someone while not in a relationship with them?" Ted shook his head, full of confidence. "As is, Kristen is the only woman I've ever been with."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mary giggled, kissing his cheek.

"Are you trying to say something, Mary?" Ted gave her a playfully stern look. "You just spent the past two and a half hours chatting up another man."

"We were just getting to know each other," Mary shrugged. "But now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind if you stayed in here with me tonight. I miss being in your arms."

"Are you sure?" he smiled. Inside, he was jumping up and down like a small child, but he wanted to contain himself in a mature manner.

"I'm positive," she pulled down the covers and brought them over Ted and herself. "Be my Teddy Bear again?"

"I can't say 'no' to that," Ted chuckled, pulling her into his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**So I didn't even notice that I had posted chapter five again. I am SO sorry for that. Here is the REAL chapter six. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was just before five in the evening when Mary walked up the steps to the house that she once called home. Her brother, sister, and Ted had all offered to come to Chicago with her, but she felt like it was something that she needed to do on her own. She swallowed hard as she brought her hand up to ring the doorbell. She had already saw that both of her parents' vehicles were in the driveway, which meant that they were both home. Thankfully, the jeep from the accident was long since in a junkyard, and Mary would never have to see it again. She took a deep breath as she extended her finger, pushing the button to activate the tone to let those inside know that someone was at the door. Once she had done it, she knew that she had reached the point of no return, yet somehow, she found herself in a panic. There were a million voices in her head telling her to turn around and run, and she was suddenly finding herself regretting turning down those offers. Ted and Billy booked and paid for Mary's flight, and everyone decided that it was best to not call Jeff and Kathryn Williams ahead of time to let them know that their eldest child had resurfaced and was about to reenter their lives. As the door opened, Mary felt a rush of calm rush over her. There was something about being back home that made her feel whole once again.

Kathryn opened the door, looking to see who was on the other side. She looked to the blonde woman, tilting her head before getting a good look into her eyes. Much like all of her old friends, the older woman recognized who was before her after looking into her eyes. "Maryanne?" she gasped, bringing her hand to her heart.

Tears filled Mary's eyes as she nodded, holding her arms out to her mother. "Hi mama," she whispered. She let her tears spill out as her mother pulled her into her arms.

No other words were spoken between the two women for a few minutes until Jeff walked up to them. "Who is at the door honey?"

Mary looked up, smiling. "Hi daddy!" She slowly pulled away from her mother and walked over to her father, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Maryanne, you... you're... you're beautiful baby," Jeff blinked in astonishment, reaching out to admire her blonde locks before hugging his daughter tightly.

Mary laughed, nodding as she returned the hug. "Thanks, daddy. It's so good to see both of you again."

"So are you staying, or are you just checking in to leave again?" Kathryn asked her daughter with a sigh.

Mary sighed, looking down as her mother closed the door behind them. "I deserve that." She took a deep breath, "to be honest, I've been wanting to come back for at least a few years now. I was just afraid and didn't really know how to anymore. So I just kept living my life. I don't want to be anyone else anymore, though. Steph and Hunter offered me a job last night, and I think that I want to take it."

Jeff couldn't help but smile at what his daughter had just said. He knew that her love of wrestling would never truly go away. So her taking a job with the WWE was the best way to make sure that she wouldn't be disappearing again. "I think that I can handle that. Does that mean you've seen Ted?"

Mary took a deep breath, blushing a little as she looked down. "It was actually his son who found me, so to speak. It's strange. It's almost like as if he knew that I was there, and that his dad would want to see me. The little guy has already grown attached to me like as if I'm his new mother." She slowly looked up to her parents. "I really don't know how to deal with this."

Kathryn nodded in understanding, bringing an arm around her daughter. "Have you and Ted talked about how you feel yet?" She lead Mary to the kitchen, having been just about finished with dinner.

"He's made it very obvious that he still loves me, but I just..." Mary sighed as she sat down next to her father. "The guilt is a little overwhelming still. I don't know if I still love him because I still feel so horrible for what I did to him."

"So what do you want to do, sweetheart?" Jeff brought an arm around his daughter.

"I guess that for now, I'm going to take the job and continue staying with Ted and Tate until something else comes up," Mary shrugged.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, honey?" Kathryn placed three glasses of milk on the table before starting to dish out some dinner for each of them.

Mary nodded with a smile, "being with them feels right. I guess that I'm just going to continue doing that until things change."

"Only if you're sure," Kathryn nodded as she sat down and they all began to eat. "We left your room just how you left it. So you are always more than welcome here."

"I'm sure," Mary stated, full of confidence. "I've accepted that I won't be a performer, but I still want to be a part of the company that has always been so important to me my whole life."

…

After dinner Mary sat down with her parents in front of the fire in their den. She curled up in a chair as her parents walked in and smirked as her father presented her with a beer. She nodded, taking the can and cracking it open. "I'm really not surprised you knew I would be a beer drinker."

Jeff nodded as he sat down with his wife on the couch. "Your sister can't stand it, but you've always had your differences from her."

Mary smiled, "at the same time, we were always really close."

"That's why I'm surprised you left. It meant you would be leaving her, as well," Kathryn sighed with a frown.

Mary's face fell as she took a long drink of her beer. "That's just how much I seriously wanted to be a wrestler, or nothing else. I wasn't the type to off myself, so I sought out a new life."

Kathryn's jaw dropped, "you were seriously that far gone, honey?"

Mary nodded, "I really couldn't handle a life surrounded by wrestling anymore, so I did the only thing I could think of."

Jeff nodded, bringing an arm around his wife's shoulders. "So where all have you been?"

"Well, I went from here to New York. I mostly walked and hitchhiked. Took a couple of Greyhounds along the way. I was there until the day that I saw Chelsea. Which... I'm sure you know about," Mary sighed, sitting back.

"Yes, your brother told us that she saw you," Jeff nodded. "He said that you ran from her."

"I still wasn't ready then," Mary admitted in a soft tone, taking a sip of her beer. "So once I knew that being there wasn't safe anymore, I packed up my things and left. I had saved up enough money by then to take a Greyhound all the way to Florida. I lived in Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach before moving to Phoenix last year. That's where I was when I ran into Ted, Tate, and Hornswoggle a few days ago."

Jeff blinked, "a lot of the current roster lives in Tampa, sweetie. In fact, Ted lives in West Palm Beach."

"You think I don't know that?" Mary choked back fresh tears. "That I haven't known that all along? That there wasn't a day that went by while I was there that I secretly hoped and prayed that I ran into one of them?"

"You... you almost sound like you wanted to," Kathryn gasped in astonishment.

"By then, I did. I know that I could have just went to a WWE event, or even come up here, but I didn't. I was afraid. I was ready a few years ago, but I just wanted to be found. I was actually relieved when I realized it was Tate that had ran into my store and tripped over a rug. That meant I was free from hiding."

"How did you stay hidden all of these years?" Kathryn tilted her head. "I mean, aside from changing your hair."

"I used fake names," Mary shrugged. "It wasn't until I was in Tampa that I started to get legit jobs and found someone to get me a fake ID so that I could. Not the best thing I've done, but it worked. I think that while I'm here, I should look into restoring my own identity. I'm not sure whether I'll claim here or Florida as my permanent residence. I guess that I'll just go with things as I go along." She sighed as she finished her beer and got up, throwing the can away in the kitchen before heading upstairs to her old room. She sent a text to Ted, letting him know that things had gone well, and that she was getting ready for bed. A few minutes later, after she had changed and sat down on her bed her phone rang. She smiled, seeing Ted's name on the display and slid the bar over to answer the call. "Miss me already?" she smiled.

"_Well yeah, just making sure I'm not losing you again already," _Ted chuckled softly.

Mary nodded, laying back. "I'm back in my own bed, but I really think that's only for tonight. I'm going to take the job and start going on the road with everyone."

"_So I'll see you tomorrow?"_ The hopeful glee in Ted's voice was very apparent.

"Yes, Teddy Bear," Mary giggled, "I'll be back in your arms before you know it." There was a pause on the other line, followed by a heavy sigh. "Ted... what's wrong?"

"_Oh... I was just remembering the last time we spoke on the phone,"_ Ted stated in a dejected tone.

"You asked me to your Homecoming dance, and I said that I just couldn't do it," Mary nodded with a sigh. "Do you have any idea how much I regret that?"

"_You could always tell me."_

"I was still in love with you, Ted," Mary took a deep breath. "I wanted nothing more than to be with you. I was just too busy hating myself over something that I had no control over and wouldn't let myself be with you."

"_And how do you feel now?"_ Ted's tone was warm and genuine. The love in his voice was apparent and Mary felt herself fall at the seems.

"I'm not over it," Mary choked on the tears that had been threatening to fall since her conversation with her parents. "I'm going to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up on him without giving him a chance to respond and turned her ringer off before setting it on her nightstand and curling up and crying herself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks went by and Mary was getting into her new job. She also had restored her identity after having been declared legally dead for so many years. Unfortunately, part of that was beginning to deal with back taxes, as well as fines for getting legitimate employment under a false identity. She had a good set of lawyers, which meant she was beginning to sort everything out accordingly. This of course meant that it was now public knowledge that she had returned, and had been receiving plenty of adoration for coming back to the WWE. She was still staying with Ted, and they still shared a bed most nights, but they still hadn't even begun to discuss if they wanted to get back together or not. It didn't matter much to Mary, though. After spending years apart, it seemed that they were both happy just simply spending time together. At the same time, Mary was also spending a lot of time with The Miz. She traveled with her old boyfriend, but when it come to breaks and stuff during shows, she was always with the other man. It had gotten to the point where she could start dating either man, but she wasn't in any sort of rush.

It was the week before Elimination Chamber, and yet again, Ted wasn't being used on screen at all. Mary was running her fingers through her now two-toned hair as she walked through the halls of the arena as she stared at the screen of her phone. She had recently gotten a phone call that she never expected to get, but she was at least in a place in her life where she could handle it. She bit her lip as she avoided the main locker room, knowing that was where Ted would be as she was on her break. She walked over to where she was hoping Miz would be hanging out in catering and walked over to him, biting her lip. "Hey..."

Miz looked up with a smile when he heard Mary's voice approach him. His smile quickly faded as he took in the look on her face. "Hey Mare, what's wrong?"

Mary took a deep breath, finally putting her phone in her pocket. "Can we go somewhere and talk? I need a favor."

Miz nodded, standing up and placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the room to look for a private place to talk. Once they found a private corner, they sat down together. "So what's going on?"

"Are you free Wednesday and Thursday? I need to go to Florida," Mary bit her lip, as she looked down.

"Yeah, of course, Mare," Miz nodded. "May I ask what's in Florida?"

Mary slowly looked up, nodding. "My son."

"You..." Miz blinked in astonishment, "your son? Does Ted know?"

Mary shook her head, biting her lip. "He's almost four. I had him while I was living in Tallahassee. I gave him up for adoption, and the couple who got him just happen to be fans. They agreed to not give up my secret so long as I would take him back if there were ever a time that they couldn't take care of him anymore."

Miz nodded in understanding, "and I take it you got that call today?"

Mary nodded, letting out a soft sigh, "so can you come?"

"I think that I have a house show appearance on Thursday, but I should be able to get out of it," Miz smiled, taking her hand.

"Well, don't get yourself into trouble. We probably won't be far from where it is. So I'm sure we can do both that day," Mary smiled.

…

Mary told Ted that she needed to go somewhere for a couple of days, but she neglected to tell him that she would be going with The Miz. She figured that she would just tell him everything at once, because it would be better that way. It was Wednesday night when Mary and Miz arrived to the hotel in Tallahassee. They got into their room, which only had one bed, and set down their luggage.

Miz looked around, raising an eyebrow. "Mare, you got a room with only one bed."

Mary nodded as she turned to The Miz with a coy smile. "It appears that I have."

Miz walked over to her with a cocky grin, bringing an arm around her waist. "What about..."

Mary cut him off by bringing a finger to his lips. "Let's not think about that right now, and just work on tonight."

Miz nodded, kissing her hungrily as he picked her up, walking over to the bed.

…

Ted sighed as he listened to Mary's voicemail message for the third time in the past ten minutes. "Where is she? She said she would be landing an hour ago."

Billy took a calming breath, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "She used to live there, Ted. Maybe she ran into an old friend and went out, or something."

Ted nodded, tossing his phone onto his bed in the hotel room he was sharing with Billy for the night. "You're right, man. I guess that I'm still paranoid that I'm going to lose her again every time she leaves me."

"That's because you still love her," Billy nodded as he sat down on his bed.

"I know I do. I never stopped. Not even while I was with Kristen," Ted sighed as he looked over to a sleeping Tate in his travel playpen. "And I think that she knew it."

"There was a part of you that loved Kristen as well, Ted," Billy nodded. "I believed that. Why else would I stand with you when you married her?"

Ted nodded, "that's a good point. I think that it was just because that Mary was my first love and we never had a full resolve from that is what made those feelings linger over the years."

"And now that she's back, you've found yourself falling all over again," Billy grinned as he sat back against the pillows.

"I just wish I could tell how she feels," Ted sighed as he laid down.

"Have you not looked into her eyes? Have you taken her actions for granted? She she spends a lot of time making friends at work, but when it counts, she barely leaves your side. This is only the second time she's left since she's been back," Billy laughed. "She loves you, man. She just feels guilty for what she did."

"I guess I should tell her that I forgave her a long time ago," Ted chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Billy nodded, "that could be a good start."

…

The next day, Mary and The Miz drove up to a house that she hadn't seen in years. She spent a lot of time there while she was pregnant, but she had only kept in touch over Skype since moving on from Tallahassee. She took a deep breath as they walked up to the door with The Miz at her side.

A pregnant woman in her thirties answered the door with a smile on her face. "Hey Mary, I see you've brought a friend with you."

Mary nodded with a smile, "Charity, this is Mike. Or well... you of course know him as The Miz."

Charity nodded, "come on in, he's almost ready."

Mary smiled as they walked inside and Charity lead them into the den where Charity's husband was sitting. "Hey Darren," she grinned, sitting down on the couch with Miz.

Darren looked up, "hi Mary, I see you've made friends since going back to the WWE." He walked over to them, shaking each of their hands. "Darren Michelson."

Miz shook the other man's hand. "It's good to meet you."

"And you as well," Darren nodded. "It's Mike, right?"

Miz nodded, "I'm mostly just here for support."

Darren smiled as a small boy ran into the room. "Is mommy here yet?" The boy paused, blinking as he looked to the man sitting with his birth mother. "Awwwwwwwessssssooooommmmmeeeeee!" He did his best Miz impersonation before running over to Mary and jumping into her lap.

Mary laughed, hugging her son. "Yup, Mommy is friends with The Miz. Isn't that cool?" She grinned as the boy nodded. "Mike, meet my little boy, Marcus."

Marcus tilted his head, "Mike?"

Miz nodded with a laugh as he shook Marcus's little hand. "My real name is Mike Mizanin, buddy."

"Can I just call you Miz?" Marcus pouted.

"Of course, little man," The Miz laughed. "I don't mind at all."

Mary got up as The Miz played with Marcus and looked to Charity's belly. "I guess it's safe to assume that this is why you've asked me to take him back?"

"I hope that you don't take this as looking as bad parents," Charity bit her lip. "It's just that we were starting to struggle, and when we heard that you had finally stopped running and went back to your family, it was the right time."

Mary nodded with a smile. "No, it's fine. I think we all knew that this wasn't going to be a permanent situation. That's why we arranged things so that Marcus knew that I was his mother all along. I believe that I'm finally ready to be a mother now. I'll just keep him with me until at least the fall, then I can decided whether I want to keep him on the road with me and get a tutor, or have him spend the school year with my parents."

"Well, he doesn't seem to mind much that we're pulling him out of school right now," Darren nodded. "So he should be fine staying on the road with you. Are you going to get him a tutor for the rest of preschool then?"

Mary nodded, "which really shouldn't be too hard. I can have him start to socialize with the wrestlers' kids and stuff."

"Sounds like a plan," Charity smiled. "So we'll be keeping in touch? Where should we send the rest of his stuff?"

Mary blinked, looking down for a moment before swallowing visibly and biting her lip. "Um... I'll give you my parent's address, but give me some time to actually tell them first?"

Darren chuckled, "so who all actually knows about Marcus?"

"Honestly?" Mary laughed at herself, shaking her head. "Just Mike at the moment." She paused for a moment, letting out a sigh, "I'll figure it out." She shrugged as she jotted down her parent's address on a piece of paper that Charity had handed her. A few minutes later Mary, Miz, and Marcus left the house with a couple of suitcases for Marcus and began to make their way to the airport.

…

A few hours later Mary met up with Ted, Cody, and Billy at the SmackDown house show, while Miz went to the RAW show. Mary made her way to the locker room after dropping off Marcus's things at Ted's bus and bit her lip as she walked up to the men in her life as Chelsea walked up holding Tate.

"You were with Mike, weren't you?" Ted looked to Mary accusingly, not noticing the small boy beside her.

"As a matter of fact, I was," Mary shrugged.

"Did you f-" Ted began to bellow, causing Chelsea to slap her hand over his mouth with as much force as a ring announcer could.

Mary took a deep breath, looking down as Marcus hid behind her. "Are you serious, Ted?"

"Just answer the question," Ted sneered.

"Ted..." Chelsea nudged him, pointing to the little hand wrapped around Mary's leg.

Mary took a deep breath, picking Marcus up. "I'm sorry baby boy. I promise Ted isn't always that mean."

Marcus peeked out from his mother's chest and looked over to Cody, grinning. "Cody Rhodes!"

Mary giggled, nodding. "Yup. He's one of mommy's friends. Actually," Mary took a deep breath, "can you take the kids for a bit, Codes?"

Cody nodded as he took Tate from Chelsea and Mary put Marcus back down and nudged him over to Cody. Mary took a deep breath, looking up to the prying eyes before after Cody walked away. "I um..."

"You have a kid?" Ted was visibly trembling, tears burning his eyes.

Mary nodded, "I sort of initially gave him up for adoption, but it was an open adoption. They knew who I really was, and agreed to that I could have him back if I was ever ready. Now that I'm back into the swing of things and they have a kid of their own coming, we figured it was time."

"So I'm an Aunt?" Chelsea grinned, hugging her sister.

Mary nodded, returning the hug. "He's going to be staying with us for a while. I may have him go to kindergarten at our old elementary school and let mom and dad take care of him in the fall. I haven't decided yet." She paused, looking over to Ted. "That's... okay, right?"

"Yeah..." Ted waved her off. "Of course it is," he turned on his heel, walking a way to think about what had just occurred.

Mary frowned as she watched Ted walk away, frowning. "Fuck..."

"He'll be okay, Mare," Billy placed his hand on his older sister's shoulder. "Just give him time to process it. I mean hell... you have a kid, Mary. You've been back for weeks, and you are just now telling us."

Mary nodded, "I know that I should have said something sooner. I just... didn't know how to bring it up." She sighed heavily as she hung her head, silently praying that this wouldn't be the thing that she lost Ted for good over.


End file.
